Jack Gladney or J.A.K. Gladney

Jack Gladney is the main character of the book and the narrator throughout the novel. He is a college professor at the College-on-the-Hill where he is the head of the Hitler department. When he is on the College grounds, he is referred to as J.A.K. Gladney. He wears dark glasses and has gained an appropriate amount of weight to be deemed a serious department head. His name change, weight gain and dark glasses are all conscious decisions to make him a mysteriously influential person around the College.

Jack lives with his wife Babette and their children from previous marriages. Babette is Jack's fourth wife but his fifth marriage. He married his first wife twice. Babette has been married at least once in the past.

For the first part of the novel, Jack's life rotates around normal activities, such as spending...